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View all search resultsCalls for justice mount as Kontras activist maimed in acid attack
Andrie Yunus, deputy coordinator of the KontraS rights group, sustained serious injuries to his face, an eye, hands and chest in the attack in Jakarta late Thursday.
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Activists hold posters during a demonstration in support of Andrie Yunus, a staff member of the human rights NGO KONTRAS (Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence), who was attacked with acid by an unidentified person, in Yogyakarta, March 14, 2026. (AFP/Devi Rahman)
T
wo men on a motorbike threw acid in the face of a human rights activist, leaving him badly hurt and prompting calls Friday for a thorough investigation amid concerns of democratic backsliding in the country.
Andrie Yunus, deputy coordinator of the KontraS rights group, sustained serious injuries to his face, an eye, hands and chest in the attack in Jakarta late Thursday.
Andrie was riding a motorbike when he was approached by two men on a motorbike, one of whom threw acid at him, according to KontraS coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya. Both attackers had their faces concealed.
Andrie, who had previously received threats for his activism, was rushed to hospital with burns to 24 percent of his body, said Dimas.
"We view this acid attack as an attempt to silence critical voices in society," he added.
UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was "deeply concerned" by the "horrific acid attack."
"Those responsible for this cowardly act of violence must be held to account," he said on X. Human rights defenders "must be protected in their vital work and able to raise without fear issues of public concern."
Andrie has been a vocal critic of moves to increase the influence of the military in the government and had just finished recording a podcast on the topic when he was attacked.
Dimas, the coordinator, urged police "to identify the perpetrators and motives behind the attack" as soon as possible.
Jakarta police spokesman Sr. Comr. Budi Hermanto told AFP an investigation has been opened.
UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor also called for a thorough probe into the attack, saying in an X post Friday that impunity for violence against human rights defenders was "unacceptable".
Minister for Law and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the incident was "an attack on democracy" and pledged that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
"Acts of violence like this must not be tolerated. Whoever the perpetrators are, whatever their motive, (they) must be prosecuted according to the law," Yusril said in a statement Friday.
In its latest report on Indonesia, Human Rights Watch said the country under President Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general in office since 2024, "has undergone further democratic backsliding, crackdowns on protests, media censorship, and intimidation of activists".
